Cap and band holder thereof

ABSTRACT

A band holder is provided. The band holder includes: a holding unit having a holding unit body; a rotating unit including an arm pivotally connected to the holding unit body and a fixed hanging portion disposed at the arm pivotal end, wherein the rotating unit is rotated and fixed in place relative to the holding unit; and a spacing adjustment mechanism disposed at the arm and having a movable hanging portion, the movable hanging portion undergoing linear displacement in a lengthwise direction of the arm and being positioned, so as to adjust its distance from the fixed hanging portion. Therefore, not only is a mask comfortable to wear, but the human head and ear also perceive no sense of compression.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to caps and, more particularly, to a cap and a band holder thereof.

2. Description of Related Art

In recent years, masks, for protective purposes, are increasingly regarded as an important index of safety and public health and thus are used in medical services, food hygiene, process processing, and especially protection against PM2.5, in terms of practicability and applicability. The aforesaid careers and environments cause people to often, and even always. wear maskers for the sake of basic protection.

With health awareness on the rise and recreational activities, such as walking, hiking, jogging, and cycling, being increasingly popular, more and more people engage in exercising and regular exercising. In 2015, findings of a survey conducted in Taiwan are as follows: 82.4% of the Taiwanese people engage in exercising; out of these people, 70% engage in exercising with a view to keeping fit; and, compared with the same period in the preceding year, the number of Taiwanese people who engage in regular exercising had increased by 0.4% to 33%. However, in the face of increasingly severe air pollution, people staying outdoors or taking exercise have to wear masks.

The age structure of the population in Taiwan is changing—the number of people aged over 65 is increasing—because of low birth rate and ageing. A population projection report predicted that Taiwan's older population would increase to 14% in 2017 and thus usher in an era of population ageing. When exposed to a drastic temperature difference, air pollution or germs, the elderly are predisposed to infections, dizziness, headaches, and even strokes. Therefore, it is important for the elderly to be protected and stay fit and safe.

Wearing masks is one of the effective means to stay healthy. Wearing a mask entails fastening a band to the human ears or head. However, given time, a mask user perceives a sense of tightness and compression in the human ears or head because of the band fastened thereto; as a result, the mask user experiences an unpleasant symptom, such as a headache or dizziness. To relieve the unpleasant symptom, the mask user needs a band holding device. However, the conventional band holding device has drawbacks as follows: (1) although the band holding device alleviates a sense of tightness imposed by the band on the human ears, it fails to relieve a sense of compression on the human head which the band is in contact with; (2) removal of the mask must be accompanied by removal of the band holding device, and in consequence they are difficult to store but likely to get lost or smeared; and (3) if the mask user perceives that the band is too tight or too loose, the mask user will have to fasten the band to the human ears or head anew and adjust the tension in the band, leading to difficulty in manipulation and adjustment of tension.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an objective of the present disclosure to provide a cap and a band holder thereof. The cap comprises a cap body and a band holder. Therefore, a user wearing a mask neither perceives a sense of compression otherwise imposed on the human head by the band holder nor perceives a sense of tightness otherwise imposed on the human ears by a band, allowing the mask to be comfortable to wear and compression-free.

Another objective of the present disclosure is to provide a cap and a band holder thereof. Therefore, to temporarily stop wearing the mask, the user removes and fixes the mask to the cap, conveniently and quickly, dispensing with the hassle of temporarily storing the mask not in use.

Yet another objective of the present disclosure is to provide a cap and a band holder thereof, so as to enable adjustment of the included angle between a holding unit and a rotating unit of the band holder and/or adjustment of the distance between a movable hanging portion and a fixed hanging portion of the band holder. Therefore, the band is adjustable in terms of tightness and thus widely applicable to the human heads of different shapes and sizes.

In order to achieve the above and other objectives, the present disclosure provides a band holder, comprising: a holding unit having a holding unit body; a rotating unit comprising an arm pivotally connected to the holding unit body and a fixed hanging portion disposed at the arm pivotal end, wherein the rotating unit is rotated and fixed in place relative to the holding unit; and a spacing adjustment mechanism disposed at the arm and having a movable hanging portion, the movable hanging portion undergoing linear displacement in a lengthwise direction of the arm and being positioned, so as to adjust its distance from the fixed hanging portion.

Regarding the band holder, the holding unit further has an axle portion connected to the holding unit body, and the arm has a pivotal hole portion which the axle portion is pivotally connected to.

Regarding the band holder, the holding unit further has a positioning post connected to an end of the holding unit body, and the arm has a positioning channel which the positioning post is fixed to.

Regarding the band holder, an end surface of the positioning post has a dented hole, and the positioning channel has therein a raised portion to be positioned in the dented hole.

Regarding the band holder, the rotating unit further comprises a tightening mechanism which the fixed hanging portion is disposed on.

Regarding the band holder, the arm has a slot, and the spacing adjustment mechanism further has a sliding block disposed in the slot.

Regarding the band holder, the holding unit further has an upright element extending upward from one side of the holding unit body.

Regarding the band holder, the upright element has a rib and a cord holding portion disposed on the surface of the rib.

A cap comprises: a cap body having at least two openings; and the band holder, wherein the axle portion and the positioning post are penetratingly disposed in and fixed into the two openings, respectively.

A cap comprises: a cap body having a cap body coupling portion; and the band holder, wherein the holding unit has a holding unit body coupling portion which the cap body coupling portion is fixed to.

Given the aforesaid technical features of the present disclosure, the present disclosure further has technical advantages as follows:

(1) The cap of the present disclosure is suitable to be worn by users indoors and outdoors and by users hiking, walking, jogging and cycling. Even if a user wears a mask and the cap for a long period of time, a band of the mask will not impose a sense of tightness on the user's ears, allowing the mask to be comfortable to wear and compression-free.

(2) The cap of the present disclosure is suitable to be worn by children, the young, the middle-aged, and especially the elderly without causing dizziness or headaches which might otherwise occur because of the band of the mask worn together with the cap.

(3) The cap comes in different styles intended for their respective circumstances and intended to meet their respective purposes. The cap also matches the band holder which comes in different colors (for example, pink, yellow, blue and lawngreen) to meet consumer needs and preferences and increase its added value.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a band holder of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view based on FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view taken from another angle based on FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view based on FIG. 3.

FIG. 5A is a top view of the band holder of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5B is a front view of the band holder of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5C is a right lateral view of the band holder of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of adjustment of an included angle ranging from 0 to 90 degrees according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the cap according to the first preferred embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the cap according to the second preferred embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of adjustment of an included angle ranging from 90 to 180 degrees according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the cap according to the third preferred embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of a way of adjusting the band in FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of a way of adjusting the band in FIG. 10.

FIG. 13 is a plan view of adjusting an included angle so that it is 90 degrees according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 14 is a schematic view of the cap according to the fourth preferred embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 15 is a schematic view of the band holder according to another preferred embodiment with reference to FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a schematic view of the band holder according to another preferred embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 17 is a schematic view of the cap according to the fifth preferred embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Details and technical features of the present disclosure are described hereunder with reference to accompanying drawings. However, the accompanying drawings are only intended for reference and explanations but are not restrictive of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 1-FIG. 5C, the present disclosure provides a band holder 1 which comprises a holding unit 10, a rotating unit 20 and a spacing adjustment mechanism 30.

The holding unit 10 has a holding unit body 11 which is slender, an axle portion 13 and a positioning post 15. The axle portion 13 and the positioning post 15 are connected to two ends of the holding unit body 11, respectively. The two ends of the holding unit body 11 each have an arcuate surface to therefore enhance user safety. A first ring-shaped groove 17 (shown in FIG. 5A) is disposed on the axial surface of the axle portion 13 and penetratingly fixed to an opening 53 (shown in FIG. 7) on a cap body 51 of a cap 5. Likewise, a second ring-shaped groove 19 (shown in FIG. 5A) is disposed on the cylindrical surface of the positioning post 15 and penetratingly fixed to another opening 53 on the cap body 51. Therefore, the band holder 1 is fixed to the cap body 51. A round dented hole 151 is disposed on the end surface of the positioning post 15.

The rotating unit 20 comprises an arm 21 pivotally connected to the holding unit body 11 and a fixed hanging portion 271 disposed at the pivotal end of the arm 21. The rotation, positioning and adjustment of the rotating unit 20 occurs relative to the holding unit 10. The arm 21 is slender. A slot 29 is centrally disposed in the arm 21 and extends in the lengthwise direction of the arm 21. A pivotal hole portion 23 which the axle portion 13 is pivotally connected to and a positioning channel 25 which the positioning post 15 is inserted into and fixed to are disposed at two ends of the arm 21, respectively. A raised portion 251 is disposed in the positioning channel 25 and can be positioned in the dented hole 151. The rotating unit 20 further comprises a tightening mechanism 27. The fixed hanging portion 271 is disposed on the circumferential surface (shown in FIG. 5A) of the tightening mechanism 27. The tightening mechanism 27 is a thread-tightening mechanism, a mesh-style ratchet mechanism (one-way checking), or a combination thereof.

The spacing adjustment mechanism 30 is disposed on the arm 21, has a movable hanging portion 31, and connects to a sliding block 33 at one end of the movable hanging portion 31. The sliding block 33 is slidingly disposed in the slot 29. The movable hanging portion 31 undergoes linear displacement in the lengthwise direction of the arm 21 and is positioned, so as to adjust its distance from the fixed hanging portion 271.

In addition to being slender, the holding unit body 10 can be round or elliptical. The holding unit body 11 which is round or elliptical only needs to have the axle portion 13. The axle portion 13 is pivotally connected to the pivotal hole portion 23 by a means of fitting (such as snap-engagement) or removed from the pivotal hole portion 23. Preferably, the band holder 1 is made of plastic and thus has advantages as follows: incurs low costs, has satisfactory mechanical properties (high flexibility and high tensile strength), easy to be pivotally connected, and withstands a pull from a band 61 of high strength.

Referring to FIG. 7, the cap 5 provided according to the first preferred embodiment of the present disclosure comprises: the cap body 51 which is made of fabric and has at least two openings 53; and the band holder 1. The axle portion 13 and the positioning post 15 (shown in FIG. 6) are penetratingly disposed in and fixed into the two openings 53, respectively.

The steps of a process of mounting the band holder 1 on the cap 5 are as follows: (a). placing the holding unit 10 on the inner side of the cap body 51 such that the axle portion 13 and the positioning post 15 (shown in FIG. 6) are protruded from and fixed into the two openings 53 of the cap body 51, respectively; and (b). fitting the pivotal hole portion 23 (as shown in FIG. 6) of the rotating unit 20 to the axle portion 13 of the holding unit 10.

Referring to FIG. 7, to wear a mask 6, the user adjusts the included angle θ (as shown in FIG. 6) between the holding unit 10 and the rotating unit 20 such that the included angle θ ranges from 0 to 90 degrees (preferably, 45 degrees), then places the mask 6 on the cap 5, and finally attaches the band 61 to the fixed hanging portion 271 and the movable hanging portion 31. To temporarily stop wearing the mask 6, the user removes and fixes the mask 6 to the cap body 51, conveniently and quickly, dispensing with the hassle of temporarily storing the mask 6 not in use.

Preferably, the band holder 1 are in the number of two. The two band holders 1 are disposed on two opposing sides of the cap body 51, respectively. The mask 6 and the band 61 are attached to the two band holders 1.

Referring to FIG. 8, the cap 5 is provided in the second preferred embodiment of the present disclosure. Technical features which distinguish this embodiment from the preceding embodiment are described below. The included angle θ of the band holder 1 can be adjusted to be 0 degree (such that the raised portion 251 can be positioned in the dented hole 151). The mask 6 is attached to the band holder 1 and fixed to the cap body 51. The band holder 1 neither takes up any space on the two sides of the user's ear nor blocks the user's left and right visual field.

Referring to FIG. 10, the cap 5 is provided in the third preferred embodiment of the present disclosure. Technical features which distinguish this embodiment from the preceding embodiments are described below. The user adjusts the included angle θ (as shown in FIG. 9) between the holding unit 10 and the rotating unit 20 to be in the range of 90˜180 degrees (preferably, the included angle θ is adjusted to be 135 degrees), attaches the mask 6 to the user's face, and attaches the band 61 to the movable hanging portion 31 and the fixed hanging portion 271 of the band holder 1. The human head does not perceive a sense of compression otherwise imposed by the band holder 1, nor the human ears perceive a sense of tightness otherwise imposed by the band 61; hence, the mask 6 is comfortable to wear, and no sense of compression is perceived by the human head or ears.

Referring to FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, the band is adjustable according to the present disclosure. Technical features which distinguish this embodiment from the preceding embodiments are described below. The distance L between the movable hanging portion 31 and the fixed hanging portion 271 is adjusted to be greater than the width of the ear. Therefore, the mask 6 fits users (for example, children) with oversized or undersized ears, and the band 61 does not impose a sense of tightness on the ears. Furthermore, the user can adjust the tightness of the band 61 as needed.

Referring to FIG. 14, the cap 5 provided in the fourth preferred embodiment of the present disclosure comprises: the cap body 51 having a cap body coupling portion 55; and the band holder 1, wherein the holding unit 10 has a holding unit body coupling portion 40 which the cap body coupling portion 55 is fixed to. The cap body coupling portion 55 and the holding unit body coupling portion 40 are fixed together by adhesion, engagement, sewing, screwing or riveting. Preferably, the cap body coupling portion 55 and the holding unit body coupling portion 40 together constitute a hook-and-loop fastener, and thus the band holder 1 can be fitted to or separated from the cap body 51 easily and conveniently. After wearing the mask 6, the user can adjust the included angle θ between the holding unit 10 and the rotating unit 20 to be 90 degrees (as shown in FIG. 13), so as to attain the same advantages as described above.

Referring to FIG. 15, there is shown a schematic view of the band holder 1 according to another preferred embodiment with reference to FIG. 14. Technical features which distinguish this embodiment from the preceding embodiments are described below. After wearing the mask 6, the user can adjust the included angle θ between the holding unit 10 and the rotating unit 20 to be in the range of 0˜90 degrees and adjust the tightness of the band 61. Therefore, the user controls the tightness of the band 61 by adjusting the included angle θ of the band holder 1 and/or the distance L between the movable hanging portion 31 and the fixed hanging portion 271, and thus the band 61 is widely applicable to the human heads of different shapes and sizes.

Referring to FIG. 16, the band holder 1 is provided in another preferred embodiment of the present disclosure. Technical features which distinguish this embodiment from the preceding embodiment are described below. The holding unit 10 further has an upright element 12 extending upward from one side of the holding unit body 11 and an earpiece holder 18 removably fitted to the upright element 12. The earpiece holder 18 can be adjustably extended and retracted in its lengthwise direction. The upright element 12 has a rib 14 and a cord holding portion 16 disposed on the surface of the rib 14. The cord holding portion 16 is a positioning groove, an engaging groove, or a hook.

Referring to FIG. 17, a user carrying an electronic device (for example, a hearing aid, a Bluetooth enabled device or an MP3 player) but is exercising (or is temporarily not using the electronic device) can attach an earpiece cord 7 of the electronic device to the upright element 12 (which engages with the cord holding portion 16), then fix an earpiece to the earpiece holder 18 to thereby prevent the earpiece from falling off, and adjust the length of the earpiece holder 18 such that the earpiece corresponds in position to the ears. Therefore, according to the present disclosure, the cap 5 and the band holder 1 thereof are coupled to the mask 6 and a portable electronic device so as to form a multifunctional, integrated cap which meets user needs for exercising, protection against air pollution, and dustproofing. Furthermore, the cap 5 is convenient and comfortable to wear, safe, and aesthetically attractive.

The cap 5 of the present disclosure comes in different styles by purpose, including hygienic caps for use in food manufacturing, chef caps for use in catering, dustproof caps for use in mask production, dust-free caps for use in industrial manufacturing, surgical caps for use by surgeons, nursing caps for use by nurses, construction safety helmets for use at construction sites, leisure caps, sun caps, workout caps, sports caps, and motorcycle helmets. The cap 5 also matches the band holder 1 which comes in different colors (for example, pink, yellow, blue and lawngreen) to meet consumer needs and preferences and increase its added value.

Users can choose the mask 6 according to circumstances or workplaces to therefore enhance applicability of the present disclosure. For instance, users exercising vigorously and thus suffering from increased respiratory impedance wear sports masks with low respiratory impedance or ultralow pressure difference. For instance, users performing CPR wear first aid masks. People wear N95 masks in places where infections are widespread or a pandemic occurs. Furthermore, the present disclosure is further applicable to various three-dimensional masks, such as C-shaped masks, folded masks, cup-type masks, bowl-shaped masks, and duckbill masks.

The cap of the present disclosure is suitable to be worn by users indoors and outdoors and by users hiking, walking, jogging and cycling. Even if a user wears a mask and the cap for a long period of time, a band of the mask will not impose a sense of tightness on the user's ears, allowing the mask to be comfortable to wear and compression-free. The cap of the present disclosure is suitable to be worn by children, the young, the middle-aged, and especially the elderly without causing dizziness or headaches which might otherwise occur because of the band of the mask worn together with the cap.

In conclusion, the present disclosure has advantages over the prior art as follows: a mask is comfortable to wear, and no sense of compression is perceived by the human head or ears; the mask user controls the tightness of the band conveniently; the cap is widely applicable to the human heads of different shapes and sizes; and, to temporarily stop wearing the mask, the user removes and fixes the mask to the cap, conveniently and quickly, dispensing with the hassle of temporarily storing the mask not in use.

The present disclosure is disclosed above by preferred embodiments. However, persons skilled in the art should understand that the preferred embodiments are illustrative of the present disclosure only, but shall not be interpreted as restrictive of the scope of the present disclosure. Hence, all equivalent structural changes made to the aforesaid embodiments shall fall within the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the legal protection for the present disclosure shall be defined by the appended claims. 

1. A band holder, comprising: a holding unit having a holding unit body; a rotating unit comprising an arm pivotally connected to the holding unit body and a fixed hanging portion disposed at the arm pivotal end, wherein the rotating unit is rotated and fixed in place relative to the holding unit; and a spacing adjustment mechanism disposed at the arm and having a movable hanging portion, the movable hanging portion undergoing linear displacement in a lengthwise direction of the arm and being positioned, so as to adjust its distance from the fixed hanging portion.
 2. The band holder of claim 1, wherein the holding unit further has an axle portion connected to the holding unit body, and the arm has a pivotal hole portion which the axle portion is pivotally connected to.
 3. The band holder of claim 2, wherein the holding unit further has a positioning post connected to an end of the holding unit body, and the arm has a positioning channel which the positioning post is fixed to.
 4. The band holder of claim 3, wherein an end surface of the positioning post has a dented hole, and the positioning channel has therein a raised portion to be positioned in the dented hole.
 5. The band holder of claim 4, wherein the rotating unit further comprises a tightening mechanism which the fixed hanging portion is disposed on.
 6. The band holder of claim 5, wherein the arm has a slot, and the spacing adjustment mechanism further has a sliding block disposed in the slot.
 7. The band holder of claim 6, wherein the holding unit further has an upright element extending upward from a side of the holding unit body and having a rib and a cord holding portion disposed on a surface of the rib.
 8. The band holder of claim 7, wherein the holding unit further has an earpiece holder removably fitted to the upright element.
 9. A cap, comprising: a cap body having at least two openings; and the band holder of claim 6, wherein the axle portion and the positioning post are penetratingly disposed in and fixed into the two openings, respectively.
 10. A cap, comprising: a cap body having a cap body coupling portion; and the band holder of claim 8, wherein the holding unit has a holding unit body coupling portion which the cap body coupling portion is fixed to. 